Chapter 24: Run Before You Walk (Part 11)

Gradually waking up after a night of well-deserved rest was a feeling Cayman decided he could get used to, even if he still felt like hell after the mad scramble the prior few days had been.

"What am I working on right now? Five hours of sleep each night on average?"

Nowhere near the worst he'd managed in the past - and he definitely felt a whole lot healthier in this reality than he had in his previous - but sleep was sleep and he missed the grand old lady.

"I need a day off."

Morbidly amused by the thought the gamer instead let a hand lazily trace the silky hair of Till as she snuggled into the crook of his neck, the other softly tracing circles on the warm and bare flesh of his bedmate-

-wait, bedmate?

Glancing down the male raised an eyebrow at the sight of Lilim curled up on his body in a tight ball, snoozing with a content and silly smile on her face as his remaining appendage rested right above her tail.

"When the hell did that happen? I thought she and the other two were sleeping on a bunch of spare blankets and towels I had."

Rolling his eyes to the side he found Minasaki and Hatsukaze sprawled atop of Yumi and snuggling into her, the girl sending him a wide-eyed expression that was clearly a plea for help.

It was actually kinda adorable. Unfortunately he had shit to do today and there was no time to simply enjoy having the Succubus sleeping atop of him, the male allowing himself a moment of indulgence as he squeezed the Demon's ass - prompting a sleepy giggle from her - as he stated, "Don't be afraid to just boot them off your bed, Yumi. They can take it."

The look of unbridled panic was a sight to see - as if he'd just asked her to murder them rather than apply a minor bit of physical force - as Cayman uncaringly rose from his sleeping spot, carefully keeping Till supported as she dozed peacefully while Lilim blearily grunted, now wrapped up in his blankets as she clumsily thrashed about.

"Also, any requests for breakfast? Not a lot to choose from but you've got a selection between fruit, oatmeal or pancakes. Or any combo of the three."

"Umm…"

Gingerly poking and prodding at the sleeping sisters as if they were some kind of armed bomb the girl eventually gave up and just gently pushed them off of her before swiftly leaping to her feet, the duo cooing like birds before snuggling into the warmth left behind by Yumi's body.

"Anything is fine, thank you."

"If you say so. All three it is."

Setting Till down on a pile of napkins as she yawned herself awake the male set about getting his cooking supplies, noticing the Sacred Gear wielder uneasily shifting about from the corner of his eye.

"Is there, erm…anything I can do to help?"

Briefly considering telling her that he had it under control Cayman realized that probably wasn't the response she was looking for, electing to instead reply, "Sure, you can grab the mix and oats from that cabinet up there."

The blonde practically leapt into action, grabbing the items in record time as the gamer fought down a smile at being right. She was doubtlessly nervous at just standing around and taking it easy, needing a task or job to set her mind at ease.

"Well if everything works out today then she'll doubtlessly be busy according to her wishes."

"So will I - I mean, we - be doing anything today? Anything I should start learning?"

"Well nothing is set in stone but I do have a tutor in mind that would no doubt be quite helpful in teaching you better how to fight and make use of your Sacred Gear. I don't doubt you have a decent base to work off of but I imagine combat training wasn't the foremost goal of the Holy Sword Project?"

While Yumi's expression darkened for a moment a shaky breath calmed her back down, the blonde replying, "That's right."

"Well then for now all you have to worry about is eating breakfast. Inbetween that tutor I'm also thinking of enrolling you in school. You never had the chance to attend and it could be a valuable learning experience for you."

Several surprised blinks were his only response.

"School? What would that be for?"

"Don't underestimate the power of socializing. This city is a melting pot of all sorts of people and races and getting used to interacting with them will be a powerful skill to have. Having allies, friends and contacts is half the path to power."

Case in point he only felt confident in getting Yumi admitted because he knew Rossweisse and could get in touch with her…although he would probably have to get down on his knees and apologize for blowing her off for so long, shit had hit the fan shortly after meeting her and Odin. Oh well, the poor woman was so socially repressed she'd no doubt just be happy he called.

Turning his attention back to Yumi the young woman didn't look entirely convinced of his thoughts on the matter but he just shrugged, stating, "Everything is still up in the air, don't worry about what may or may not happen."

Hesitantly nodding Till finally forced herself awake, Cayman planting a kiss on the top of her head as she sleepily mumbled, "Mmm…good morning, Cayman…"

"Morning, princess. Food will be ready soon."

As if those words were some kind of magic spell the trio of Demons came alive, hungrily sniffing the air as the gamer wryly made another batch of pancake mix, figuring it would be needed.

He wasn't wrong.

"Mmm~! That was so good!"

Hatsukaze and Minasaki didn't verbally agree with Lilim, too busy wolfing down the latest batch of cakes with the voraciousness of starving dogs.

+5 REP with Lilim [40/100], Minasaki [15/100] and Hatsukaze [15/100]!

"So I guess the Demons are just more gluttonous than the Taimanin, huh?"

"Well since you appreciate it so much how about you repay me with starting work right now?"

The eagerness of the trio vanished like water on a campfire, Hatsukaze complaining, "Ehh? But we just got here!"

"Well I hate to be the one to tell you this but you have to work to get paid. And in all honesty this isn't even that tricky, I just need you three to wander around the Kabuki district and ply your usual craft, making note of anything interesting or suspicious before coming back and telling me about it. If it has to do with Nomad or any other sizable organization the better."

While there was a few choice mutters and complaints that had Till's eyebrow twitching in a clear desire to throttle them Lilim ultimately sagged, groaning, "Ugh, fine. That's doable, I guess. Come on, girls."

Minasaki and Hatsukaze began to follow the Succubus out of the apartment, the former pausing on the threshold as she chirped, "We'll be back for our money, boss man~!"

Hatsukaze enthusiastically nodded as she made to close the door, stating, "And don't abuse or rape Yumi, she's a nice girl!" before it clicked shut, the girl in question staring at her last slice of fruit in defeat.

"They're going to waste your money screwing around, Cayman."

Chuckling at Till's annoyed words he gently used a pointer finger to rub circles onto her back, stating, "Again, I agree. They're about the worst possible intelligence agents money can buy…and that's the point."

He smirked.

"Wary eyes and interesting events will come to them like flies to honey. After all, the greatest swordmaster need only fear the worst. How do you even plan against three incredibly lucky idiots?"

Till merely sighed as Cayman lost some of his cheer, wryly commenting, "Although my finances are looking pretty slim at the moment. Never thought the day would come where I'm living paycheck to paycheck again."

"I, I could get a job!"

Both he and Till blinked at Yumi's sudden outburst, the blonde ducking her head as she mumbled, "T-that would help, right? With the money?"

Chuckling at her enthusiasm he responded, "The offer is appreciated but the kind of cash I'm going to need isn't something you'll be able to earn working a nine to five. Don't worry about it, this is my battlefield to win and I've got experience in doing so. Actually, since we're on the subject…"

He gathered up the dishes and took them to the sink, ignoring Yumi's protests as he did so.

"How about we go and see if your potential tutor is interested?"

Knocking on the door to Pegasus Wings n' Brew Cayman and his two companions were only kept waiting for a short time, the doors pulled open and admitting none other than Medusa to give him a narrowed glare.

"Would you object if I offered to hire you for something other than culinary services?"

"Not long ago you promised to leave us be and not drag us into your affairs. This seems to be going against those very words."

The statement was calm but icy, Cayman peaceably raising his hands before responding, "I know, but this honestly isn't something that's going to draw bad attention your way. What I need is a tutor or tutors, people that can teach Yumi here how to fight, no strings or complications attached."

Medusa frowned, bluntly replying, "You have no shortage of potential instructors to choose from, why us?"

Giving the blonde a sidelong glance the gamer explained, "She has something of an…affinity for swords and your group is the foremost expert on such subjects that I know of."

Now openly wary the purple-haired woman nonetheless sighed, admitting them inside as she responded, "Make it quick. And I don't guarantee anything."

"No worries, I get it. And seriously, thanks."

Expression not shifting a millimeter at his attempt at genuine gratitude Medusa led them past the restaurant into a small living area occupied by both Shirou and Sakura, the pair calmly eating breakfast and quietly conversing before halting the interaction, staring at the new arrivals with thinly veiled caution.

"Cayman. We didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"Or want to, I wager. Sorry about the sudden drop by but I need a favor, ideally one I can compensate you for and won't disrupt your daily lives overmuch."

The trio shared disbelieving glances as Cayman let them have it, well aware of how this looked.

"And this favor?"

"I need you to teach her how to fight."

Sakura frowned while Shirou merely raised an eyebrow, Cayman continuing with, "And I mean fight. Not walk the path of the sword or become some master duelist but how to engage something and win no matter what strategies have to be used."

This time the magus shared Sakura's visible aversion, stating, "While I appreciate your faith in me-"

"Again, you don't."

"-there must be countless others you can call upon for this favor."

"I said much the same thing."

Medusa's idle comment had Cayman glancing towards Yumi, the girl visibly trying to hide her nervousness as she anxiously licked her lips.

"Well? Go ahead and show him."

Correctly interpreting his words the young lady took a deep breath, holding out a hand…and with a muted flare of light a simple longsword was disgorged from the ground, smoothly leaping into her palms as she held it upright in readiness-

-and blushed scarlet, hurriedly lowering the weapon as she no doubt thought she'd just made some kind of threatening motion, something that Sakura and Medusa seemed to find endearing if their brief and tiny smiles were any indication.

"A Sacred Gear, then?"

"Precisely. And you, Shirou Emiya, are something of an expert on the subject."

He gave the grafted arm of EMIYA a pointed glance, the man simply nodding in acceptance of the fact as he gave Yumi an appraising look - the blonde squirming and shifting under the scrutiny - until he idly commented, "And what purpose would you have us teach her these things skills for?"

His gaze landed on Cayman's, the Surveyor fighting back a smile at the sharp and uncompromising glare as Shirou continued with, "Since you seem to know so much about us then you should know I'm not in any hurry to help someone who makes free use of easily disposable tools."

"I-it's nothing like that!"

The trio blinked, caught off guard by Yumi's sudden shout as the blonde quickly ducked her head, more reservedly stating, "He's not using me. He actually saved me and we're working together, that's all."

Till nodded, proudly adding, "Yeah, my Contractor isn't nearly that heartless."

None of the group seemed all that convinced yet - no doubt aware that he could have easily fooled or tricked the girl into thinking such a thing - before he had an epiphany, asking, "Yumi? How comfortable do you feel telling them about your past?"

While the blonde instantly paled and clammed up a deep breath steadied her nerves, the Sacred Gear wielder quietly stating, "It's…it's fine. But can you, well…can you tell them?"

Till was quick to float over to their companion's shoulder, providing unconditional assurance as Cayman went straight for the heart of the matter, informing them with, "Yumi is a survivor of the Church's Holy Sword project-"

"Which Church?"

Medusa's question had the man slapping his face, remembering that there was no shortage of factions and beliefs tied to this bizarre reality.

"Vatican. The ones that talk with Angels like Michael and have beef with Azazel."

"Ah."

"Long story short the project was intended to create individuals that could wield the Excalibur Fragments as easily as their original wielder may have been able to. Yumi was one of the youths selected."

"...And what do you mean by 'survivor', if I may ask?"

Sakura's expression suggested she knew perfectly well what happened but wanted to clarify anyway, Cayman obliging her as he responded, "The project began to cross over a few too many ethical boundaries for the Church's taste, thus the leaders in charge of the project decided to dispose of the evidence before a solid case could be bright against them."

A soft creak of leather had all eyes focusing on Yumi, the girl quickly trying to reign in her anger as she grasped her weapon's hilt far too tightly.

"She survived but was picked up by slavers that were intending to sell her to Under Eden, a high-class brothel. It was just dumb luck that I spotted her and managed to broker a deal for her freedom."

"Although now that I think about it Yumi probably would have ended up under the Incubus King's banner, not Under Eden. Her talents would have been more at home there than as a whore."

If Yukikaze's mother was any indication the Edwin Black wannabe certainly had an eye for dangerous women, using his porno powers to bind them to his side.

Crossing his arms and returning to the current conversation he concluded, "I'm always in need of talented and reliable help while Yumi wants to avenge her friends and family that were killed just to cover up wrongdoing that had already been delivered upon them. We're in the unique position of being able to help each other but she needs experience and tutelage before we can truly get underway. Experience and tutelage that I can't really offer."

He offered an amused grin.

"And I'm willing to pay."

An unknowable look was passed between the three, some form of silent communication passing between them-

-and Cayman had to resist the urge to sigh as his phone rang.

"Mind giving me a minute?"

At the various nods he answered, not having to wait for more than a second before Mai's terse and breathless voice spoke up with, [We were ambushed by what looks like Nomad and unknown Devil forces, Natsume was captured but Sisigou and myself are taking cover in the parking garage where we first arrived.]

Biting back on a curse Cayman instead took a deep breath, replying, "All right, I'm on my way."

Hanging up he quickly turned to the watching group, stating, "Till and I are needed elsewhere. Yumi? Head back to the apartment and stay put until we return."

The gamer was surprised at the sheer panic and alarm that congealed on the blond's expression, her words frightened as she stammered, "W-what? Alone? But I can help-"

"No, you can't. At least not for now. Hang tight and we'll be back before long."

She was still fresh off of her run in with the molesters of the day and if their targets were skilled enough to take down a pair of Taimanin and an Enforcer then it would be for the best that he didn't have to watch over Yumi in the process.

"But…but there's nothing to do in there."

"Well I'm sorry I'm poor but-"

"She can stay here, it's fine."

Cayman blinked at Shirou's sudden words, the man staring at Yumi with a curiosity that left the gamer wondering if he'd used some form of Tracing on her.

"I'll explain more later, but suffice to say I'm…curious about her. We're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so we didn't have anything planned for today or tomorrow."

Not willing to look this particular gift horse in the mouth he instead settled for a simple nod, replying, "Thank you. I mean it."

Turning to depart he was stopped by an instinctive grasp from Yumi's hand, the blonde hastily withdrawing the appendage a moment later as she nervously said, "Please be, I mean…come back safe, okay?"

Feeling bad for abandoning the girl into what was clearly a worrying set of circumstances he settled for a reassuring smirk, replying, "Hey with Till backing me up I've got nothing to worry about. And I'm pretty good at weaseling my way out of sticky situations."

+5 Rep with Yumi Kiba [25/100]!

Departing without further comment he was surprised as Sakura and Medusa fell in step with him, the purplette idly humming, "The life of a Surveyor seems to be quite the busy one."

"Fucking tell me about it."

Pausing on the threshold of the building he asked, "I know I'm already asking for a lot, but…if you don't hear from me in three days time can you look after Yumi? If anyone would be able to understand her plight it's you three."

The duo stared back at him without immediate response…and small smiles adorned the expressions of both women.

+10 REP with Shirou [15/100], Sakura [15/100] and Medusa [15/100]!

Surprised at the sudden increase in REP Medusa softly said, "Of course. We're not so cruel as to leave a young girl to fend for herself."

Sakura nodded, one finger touching her chin as she mused, "Yumi is rather cute, she would make for quite the popular server."

Breathing out a quiet sigh of relief Cayman nodded, hoping the wordless gesture would say it all as he departed.

"Then again, as people whose lives were played and toyed with by beings more powerful than themselves maybe it's not so hard to imagine them empathizing with Yumi. Hell, they probably would have been more upset if I hadn't asked for them to help her."

Shaking his head free from those various thoughts he instead asked, "Ready to get right back into the thick of things, Till?"

"We do seem to be doing that a lot, don't we?"

"Consequences of having me as a Contractor. Feel like putting in for a transfer?"

"Not on your life~! For all your tough talk and attitude you can be a big softy in weird ways."

+5 AFC with Till, [15/100]!

Favoring the Fairy with an amused grin as he lightly stroked her body the pair quickly departed.

"And everything started off so well, too."

Kairi snorted from where he applied some kind of salve to his right arm, a collection of burns and bruises adorning the limb as he dryly commented, "Under most circumstances I would blame you for giving away the game…but Aozaki isn't the type to screw up and if she's willing to work with you that means it's us that somehow drew their eye."

The Enforcer's gaze drifted towards Mai in clear implication as the Taimanin weakly slumped against a nearby concrete pillar, clutching her abdomen where Till was busy healing some seriously nasty bruise that was no doubt caused by a kinetic weapon - the Taimanin suit dispersing the worst of the impact - a large and mottled mass of purples and yellows that hinted at internal damage while a hastily bandaged laceration was on her left arm.

Deciding not to add fuel to the fire Cayman instead asked, "So what happened exactly?"

Huffing out a sigh Kairi replied, "Amadare and I were wandering around outside of the hotel looking to see if there was any kind of outwardly visible signs of protections or security measures when we were attacked out of nowhere. Didn't get a glance at who it was but one of them had some seriously nifty control over water while the rest were using a variety of Devil spellcraft and what not. We got separated in the attack and by the time I got my bearings Amadare had already been captured by whoever the bastards were."

Breathing a bit easier now that Till was busy fixing her side Mai despondently noted, "I was ambushed much the same. A pair of Devils wielding swords and masked features that managed to wound and distract me from providing support."

Frowning in thought Cayman reflected that most outsiders would have suspected either of the two for betraying or purposefully giving away their mission…but his knowledge of the two meant they were near the bottom of the suspect list. While Sisigou was an Enforcer and didn't necessarily follow any kind of strict moral code the man simply wasn't the type to stab an ally in the back, at least not without a massively good reason. And while Mai wasn't as heavy on character details as the Magus was she was of even less questionable standing, being a loyal and relatively new Taimanin who had absolutely no motive to betray anyone yet.

That meant the group they were dealing with was of sufficient notoriety or knowledge to recognize the three of them and realize their presence was trouble.

"Shit, maybe we should have ran with disguises or something. Although considering just how many people and crazy individuals there are in this world how would you keep track of everyone? Or has face recognition tech gotten stupid advanced?"

Setting that thought aside for the moment he noticed that despite Till's work Mai was still a bit green in the face and unsteady as she tried to rise to her feet, Cayman stating, "Hold up a moment, those swords or whatever may have been poisoned."

Manifesting his spear the male quickly murmured, "[Restorative Wave]" before tapping the Taimanin's injury with the sharpened tip, a sheen of sweat instantly springing up on the young woman's face as she doubled over, puking up a stream of nasty looking red and black fluid as the gamer awkwardly realized his spell didn't just magic away the toxins, it merely drew them out extremely quickly and efficiently.

He was quick to grab a water bottle and mints from the car and offer it to her, the pale-haired girl nodding in thanks while giving the tablets a curious look, no doubt wondering why he had them at the ready.

Since he liked kissing Till and she was pretty damn small he figured he'd make it enjoyable for her by not constantly having bad breath.

+10 REP with Mai Nanase [25/100]

"You don't have to bother with all those lotions, Mr. Sisigou! I can handle it."

Speaking of a certain Fairy she quickly approached the Enforcer before beginning her first-aid all over again, the man raising an eyebrow before shrugging, responding, "Well that's much appreciated, little lady."

With all the immediate injuries and other health concerns taken care of the Surveyor stroked his chin, musing, "So what do you think our next step should be? We obviously struck gold in regards to there being something going down in that building if they went to the trouble of attacking you in broad daylight, never mind capturing Natsume instead of just killing all of you."

The distant sounds of emergency sirens as they continued to cleanup the remains of the brief battle was a perfect counterpoint to his statement, Kairi blandly stating, "I dunno, you seem to have all sorts of crazy solutions to our various problems, is this any different?"

"I'm selectively brilliant, any and all suggestions are welcome."

Mai walked next to him as he stared out over the lip of the garage, offering her thoughts even as she deployed a variety of origami constructs to once again patrol their surroundings.

"We have to rescue my partner, it was my fault she was taken."

Sending the Taimanin a sidelong glance Cayman bluntly replied, "I get where you're coming from but there's a lot of powerful unknowns we're working with here, never mind the security systems. Adding in a hostage element is one more handicap that our asses really don't need."

Kairi nodded, also rising to his feet as Till finished up her work before adding, "He's right, little lady. We ain't gonna leave her out to dry if we can avoid it, sentimental reasons aside Amadare knows a whole lot of secrets about a whole lot of shady people and we don't want that reaching any ears willing to listen."

Her hands balled into fists but Mai eventually nodded, clearly frustrated by the situation but acknowledging the adversity they were up against.

"Adversity is right. I don't know shit about magic ward breaking or whatever and while I might be able to get Touko to help out again that'll be expensive and probably time consuming, we-"

[Rescue the Informant!]

[Details: Rescue Natsume Amadare and discover the individuals involved in the meeting!]

[Rewards: 9000 EXP, 500 Reign.]

"Oh just fuck off already!"

Glaring heatedly at the sudden quest screen Cayman resisted the urge to flick a middle finger towards the sky, instead reigning in his annoyance before asking, "Remind me again how well you two think you can break through these barriers?"

Kairi snorted, bluntly replying, "In conditions like this when I've barely been able to so much as glance at them? A week at best."

Mai begrudgingly nodded, shamefully stating, "If I could destroy them directly, maybe…but I don't think that to be very likely."

"Agreed."

Sighing deeply Cayman pulled out his phone, Till landing on his shoulders as she observed, "That bad, huh?"

"Yup. That bad. You two fucking owe me for this, I'm about to be an exploitative dick to an incredibly sweet and lovely Valkyrie."

He paused, maliciously grinning before turning to face the abruptly apprehensive pair.

"On second thought? You don't owe me anything, I'll just tell one of our potential backups that you're both really strong."

Kairi looked at his phone with newfound trepidation, muttering, "It's another Aozaki type, isn't it? Oh just kill me now…"

Mai was ultimately more composed, giving Cayman a strange look…before surprising the man as a small smile briefly graced her beautiful features.

"He was right, you do have an answer to everything."

"I'll tell you what I told my future assistant."

He brought the phone to his ear, already ringing in a bid to reach the intended recipient.

"Networking is half the battle."

"Geez, Vali! Want me to answer that for you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I know how to work a phone!"

Staring at the buzzing device with steadily growing embarrassment as he most definitely did not remember how to work it - he rarely ever used the thing and it couldn't be used as an improvised weapon - the hybrid hesitantly tapped the green icon and hoped for the best, bringing it up to his ear.

[This is the third time I've tried to reach you, never mind all the texts. Don't tell me, let me guess. You don't know how to work your phone.]

Jesie began to uproariously laugh as she floated in front of the scowling youth's face, having heard Cayman's response.

"I could have just been busy, you know."

[Yeah, but you just said you weren't. You interested in real live combat experience? I'm trying to break into a secured and locked tight building with people inside that are pretty tough. Kabuki district, Tokyo. Maraki parking garage.]

"Okay, we'll be there in less than an hour."

Instantly intrigued by the prospect Jesie was quick to ask, "Hey I'm all for you finally helping out friends, but don't you think this is gonna cause problems? What if you end up upsetting some other faction?"

Not halting in his stride as he made his way to the teleportation rooms Vali dismissively replied, "What Azazel doesn't know can't hurt him. And this sounds like something interesting…"

"Oh geez, fine. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, huh?"

Briefly smiling at his companion's words as she landed on his shoulder the youth pushed through the final door leading to Slash Dog's teleportation arrays-

"Oh, Va-kun~!"

-and bounced off of a rather gifted womanly form, warm arms promptly grabbing onto his shoulders and pushing him back into the embrace as he unleashed a muffled shout of protest.

"Well where were you off to so quickly? Are you getting into trouble again?"

Pulling away with a gasp for air Vali stared up into the eyes of one of the few people aside from Jesie that made him feel stumbling and awkward, none other than Lavinia Reni as she savored him with a sisterly expression, giggling at his blushing face.

"Of course not! Weren't you in a meeting with Azazel?!"

"Oh we just finished, that's all."

Airily waving away his inquiry she pulled up a phone-

"Wait, that's mine!"

-and started scrolling through his messages, tittering as she admonished him with, "Now now, Va-kun. Haven't you installed a password for this yet?"

"I keep telling him to do that but of course he never listens to me!"

"You must have quite the full time job, Jesie."

Scowling as the two women made fun of him he stilled as Lavinia's expression turned concerned, brow furrowing as she asked, "Va-kun? Who's this person asking for your help?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

"He's a Surveyor that needs Vali's help breaking into an unknown fortress, apparently."

The blonde woman stared at the hybrid as his Fairy betrayed him without hesitation, his nasty glare going unobserved as the Longinus wielder hummed to herself in contemplation, dramatically stating, "Why can't you make any normal friends, you silly boy?"

"If you aren't going to say or do anything useful then let me go already."

"Hmm…"

Giving the phone one last look the Human woman promptly handed him back the device, cheerfully stating, "Okay, but I'm going with you~!"

Vali froze, bluntly replying, "What?"

"I can't let such an innocent boy go meet with such strange men on his own! My business for the day is done and I'll spend it with my cute little brother~!"

Jesie cackled at his downtrodden expression as the hybrid mentally apologized to Cayman for the trouble he was unwittingly bringing his way.